Neurology Overview

Neurology is the study of (-ology) the nervous system (neuro-). In order to gain an understanding of the neurological diseases that affect pets, a basic knowledge of the neurological system, neuroanatomy, neurological terms and classification of neurological disease is helpful. The Neurology Overview provides the guest with an introduction to this information.

Information from outside veterinary websites is provided as an informational aid and does not necessarily represent the views of the Veterinary Neurological Center. This information is meant to be a guide and not a substitute for veterinary care. Always follow the instructions provided by your veterinarian.

The website’s glossary is a useful tool for understanding the different terms related to neurology. It is organized into 5 areas specific to veterinary neurology: Anatomy, Signs/Problems, Disorders/Diseases, Pharmaceuticals and Miscellaneous.

A knowledge of certain prefixes and suffixes is helpful in understanding the meaning of some general diseases related to neurology:

GENERAL DISEASES

Process_

disease of:

inflammationof

tumor of:

softening of:

Location:

Prefix:

Suffix:

-opathy

-itis

-oma

-malacia

brain

enceph-

encephalopathy

encephalitis

encephalomalacia

spinal cord

myel-

myelopathy

myelitis

myelomalacia

nerve

neur-

neuropathy

neuritis

neuroma

meninges

mening-

meningitis

meningioma

muscle

myo-

myopathy

myositis

nerve root

radicul-

radiculopathy

radiculitis

vertebra

spondylo-

spondylopathy

spondylitis

bone

osteo-

osteopathy

osteitis

The terms above describe general types of diseases because they don’t provide specific information about the cause of the disease process. Once the cause has been determined, the name may change. For example, the veterinarian may determine that a patient has inflammation of the meninges (i.e. meningitis). Once it has been determined that the meningitis is caused by an infection from the fungus, coccidiomycosis, the name will change to Cocci meningitis and the patient can be specifically treated for this disease process. Also, the suffix -us denotes an organism and -osis denotes a condition. Therefore, Cryptococcosis is an infection caused by the fungus Cryptococcus.

If multiple areas are being affected by a process, two or more prefixes can be combined. For example: Meningomyelitis: inflammation of the meninges and spinal cordPolyradiculoneuritis: inflammation of many (poly-) nerve roots and nerves

This information is meant to be a guide and not a substitute for veterinary care. Always follow the instructions provided by your veterinarian.